News

The Panhandle Pedalers wish a speedy recovery to fellow member Paul Cugini who was involved in an accident while riding his bicycle. The only details available as of this writing are that he may have suffered a broken leg. Please join us in extending our prayers and well wishes to Paul.

Our 2016 Club Strava Challenge starts April 1st. This is a members-only just for fun competition for top mileage and elevation totals for the season. Prizes are awarded at the club holiday banquet in December. You must use Strava to participate. You can sign up anytime at https://www.strava.com/clubs/188974 . The challenge will be unlocked on April 1st.

Registration for our May 14th Poker Run Century, Metric Century and Trail Ride is now OPEN! This event benefits Jefferson County Meals on Wheels. Check out all the details at http://ppccride.com or on Facebook at ppccride.

The Hagerstown / Eastern Panhandle Metropolitan Planning Organization is conducting a bicycling survey in an effort to improve and promote cycling in our region. The survey is open until February 5th. To complete the survey search HEPMPO on facebook, or go to https://bikehepmpo.metroquest.com/.

All weeknight rides will end with the time change on November 1st. Watch for announcements about weekend and night canal rides. If you are interested in leading a daytime weekday ride during the fall and/or winter months, please let a board member know or post on facebook. Thanks!

We were recently notified that our club has received a $500 Community Grant from the Jefferson County Convention and Visitors Bureau. We are very grateful to the Bureau for supporting our club and our efforts to boost cycling tourism in the eastern panhandle. The grant monies will be applied to a variety of publications and events, including a tri-fold brochure promoting PPCC and local bikes shops. The brochure will include a map highlighting some of our favorite routes in the area. A draft of the brochure will be available for comment soon.

We will be having our second Rt. 9 Bike Path Cleanup in July, and this event will also be our July club meeting. The day and time will be determined based on weather... we will try to pick a cool weekend morning or weekday evening. Stay tuned for the date and meeting place!

We had an outstanding turnout for our 4th Poker Run Metric Century on May 30th to raise funds for Jefferson County Meals on Wheels. The club raised $1,400.00 for MoW. We had 100 riders Saturday. Over 60% from outside of the area. We had riders from as far away as California, Florida and Tennessee. The out of area riders truly enjoyed the course and the scenery.

Thanks to the club members that rode and or volunteered. We also want to thank all of the business sponsors for the donations and support that the event received. We will work to grow and improve the event next year!!

Congrats to club member Rob McDonald who had the winning had - 3 10's For the rest of the winners & hand standings visit our PokerRun2015 page.

We are excited to see our club membership growing! Welcome to all our new members- and thanks for joining us! Several folks have asked about family rides and canal / bike path rides. We have added these two categories to the "interests" area in the profile. Be sure to update your profile so that you can receive emails from ride leaders based on your interests. Also be sure to subscribe to any forums you are interested in to stay updated on rides and events, especially if you are not on facebook. Tailwinds!